King and Queen of Netherlands to pay five-day visit to India

Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima will embark on a five-day visit to India from October 14 on the invitation of President Ram Nath Kovind.

This would be Willem-Alexander's first state visit to India following his ascension to the throne in 2013.

During the visit, they will hold meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Kovind. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will call on the Dutch King.

They would be accomped on their visit by a senior Ministerial delegation, an External Affairs Ministry release said.

Apart from the official programme in Delhi, the King and the Queen will also visit Mumbai and Kerala.

The royal couple will attend the inaugural session of 25th Technology Summit in New Delhi.

The Netherlands is the partner country for this Summit. The King and the Queen would be accomped by about 140 business houses for this technology and innovation fair, representing various sectors, including agriculture, water, health-care and climate change.

India and The Netherlands have a bilateral trade turnover of USD 12.87 billion (2018-2019). The Netherlands is the 5th largest investor in India with a cumulative investment of USD 23 billion between 2000 and 2017.

The Netherlands is home to a 235,000 strong Indian diaspora, the largest in mainland Europe, the statement read.

The visit is expected to boost economic and political cooperation between the two countries.

( With inputs from ANI )